France vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Historical population data

France
68.97 million Persons
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
69.50 million Persons
in 2025
France rank
12th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
11th

Historical population data over time

  • France
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
020.0M40.0M60.0M195019872025

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 69.50 million Persons against 68.97 million Persons in France, a difference of 535,300 Persons.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

France ranks 12th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th of 43 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, France averaged higher in 4 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade France United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1950s 43.39 million Persons 50.98 million Persons 7.59 million Persons United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1960s 48.27 million Persons 54.11 million Persons 5.85 million Persons United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1970s 52.40 million Persons 56.12 million Persons 3.72 million Persons United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1980s 55.15 million Persons 56.57 million Persons 1.42 million Persons United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 59.11 million Persons 57.95 million Persons 1.16 million Persons France
2000s 62.67 million Persons 60.36 million Persons 2.32 million Persons France
2010s 66.18 million Persons 64.81 million Persons 1.38 million Persons France
2020s 68.32 million Persons 68.11 million Persons 208,417 Persons France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher historical population data, France or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 69.50 million Persons against 68.97 million Persons in France as of 2025.
What is the difference in historical population data between France and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
535,300 Persons, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
How do France and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for historical population data?
France ranks 12th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th of 43 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Historical population data. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Historical population data. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/historical-population-data/france/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Historical population data
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
56 places, 4,256 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents annual population data from 1961 by sex and five year age groups as well as the share of children, youth, the elderly, old-age and total dependency ratios. The data is available for all member countries as well as for the EU27 and G20 countries, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa and the World total. The data refer to mid-year estimates of the population. See country details in Historical population metadata.